National Palace of Ajuda

After the 1755 earthquake destroyed the royal residence in the centre of Lisbon, King Joseph I moved the court to the heights of Ajuda, into a luxurious wooden palace known as the Real Barraca. When it burned down in 1794, work began on a permanent palace in 1795. The first Baroque design by Manuel Caetano de Sousa was reworked in neoclassical style by José da Costa e Silva and Francisco Xavier Fabri, but money shortages and the royal family's flight to Brazil in 1807 kept interrupting the work.

From 1862 the palace became the main residence of King Luís I and Queen Maria Pia of Savoy, whose furnished rooms give a picture of royal life in the 19th century. It opened as a museum in the 20th century, and state ceremonies of the Republic and the presidency are still held here.

The west wing stood unfinished for more than two centuries until a contemporary structure was completed in 2021. It houses the Royal Treasure Museum, with the Portuguese crown jewels and diplomatic gifts.